.jpg) Kpassagnon with the New Orleans Saints in 2021 | |||||||||||||
| No. 92 –New Orleans Saints | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | (1994-06-14)June 14, 1994 (age 30) Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 289 lb (131 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Wissahickon(Ambler, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Villanova (2012–2016) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2017: 2nd round, 59th pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Tanoh Kpassagnon (/ˈtɑːnoʊˈpæsənjoʊ/TAH-nohPASS-ən-yoh;[1] born June 14, 1994)[2] is an American professionalfootballdefensive end for theNew Orleans Saints of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football atVillanova and was selected by theKansas City Chiefs in the second round of the2017 NFL draft.
Kpassagnon attended and playedhigh school football atWissahickon High School inAmbler, Pennsylvania.
Kpassagnon committed to play atVillanova University, the only school to offer him a scholarship for football. He redshirted his freshman season and started as atight end. By his junior season, he had switched to defensive end. As a senior, he was theColonial Athletic Association defensive player of the year after recording 11 sacks. In a game againstPittsburgh, Kpassagnon blocked a field goal and had two tackles for loss.[3]
Kpassagnon double-majored in accounting and finance at Villanova. He interned at the accounting firmPricewaterhouseCoopers for two summers.[4]
Kpassagnon received an invitation to theSenior Bowl and made two combined tackles and a sack, helping the South clinch a 16–15 defeat over the North.[5] He attended theNFL Combine and completed all of the combine and positional drills. He also participated at Villanova'sPro Day and ran positional drills for scouts and representatives. Representatives from 18 NFL teams, including six defensive line coaches, attended to scout Kpassagnon as the feature prospect, two Villanova teammates, and seven other players from smaller schools.[6] Kpassagnon had private workouts and visits with ten NFL teams, that included theDallas Cowboys,Detroit Lions,Carolina Panthers,Cincinnati Bengals,Atlanta Falcons,New England Patriots,Baltimore Ravens,Washington Redskins,New Orleans Saints, andPittsburgh Steelers.[7] NFL draft experts and analysts projected him to be drafted anywhere from the second to fourth round. He was ranked the 12th best defensive end in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com and the 13th best defensive end byESPN.[8]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft6+3⁄4 in (2.00 m) | 289 lb (131 kg) | 35+5⁄8 in (0.90 m) | 10+5⁄8 in (0.27 m) | 4.83 s | 1.69 s | 2.81 s | 4.62 s | 7.46 s | 30 in (0.76 m) | 10 ft 8 in (3.25 m) | 23 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[9][10][11] | ||||||||||||
TheKansas City Chiefs selected Kpassagnon in the second round with the 59th overall pick in the2017 NFL draft.[12] He was the seventh defensive end selected in the 2017 NFL Draft.[13] On June 7, 2017, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Kpassagnon to a four-year, $4.32 million contract with $1.94 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.32 million.[14]
He competed withRakeem Nuñez-Roches,Jarvis Jenkins,Allen Bailey, andDavid King throughout training camp for the vacant starting defensive end job left by the departure ofJaye Howard. After showing versatility and "freakish" athleticism throughout training camp and the preseason, head coachAndy Reid designated an edge rusher role for Kpassagnon that allows him to line up at multiple positions, including outside linebacker, defensive end, and defensive tackle.[15] Kpassagnon was named the backup right outside linebacker behindDee Ford with the usual starter,Tamba Hali, on the physically unable to perform list to begin the regular season.
Kpassagnon made his professional regular season debut during the Chiefs' season-opening 42–27 victory over the Patriots. On December 31, 2017, with the division title and the fourth seed clinched, Chiefs head coachAndy Reid rested the majority of the teams starters, giving Kpassagnon the chance to make his first career start against theDenver Broncos. He finished with seven combined tackles and two sacks during the 27–24 victory.[16]
On January 19, 2020, against theTennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game, Kpassagnon sacked quarterbackRyan Tannehill twice during the 35–24 win.[17] The Chiefs eventually made it toSuper Bowl LIV. The Chiefs succeeded in defeating the 49ers 31–20 to secure their first championship in 50 years.[18]
In Week 16 of the 2020 season against the Falcons, Kpassagnon tipped a potential game-tying field goal attempt byYounghoe Koo to seal a 17–14 win for the Chiefs.[19] Overall, he finished the 2020 season with 28 total tackles, one sack, and three passes defensed.[20]In theAFC Championship against theBuffalo Bills, Kpassagnon recorded one sack onJosh Allen during the 38–24 win.[21]
Kpassagnon signed a two-year contract with the Saints on March 29, 2021.[22] He was placed oninjured reserve on December 2.[23]
On February 27, 2023, Kpassagnon signed a two-year contract extension with the Saints.[24] In Week 15 againstTommy DeVito and theNew York Giants, Kpassagnon recorded a career–high three sacks.[25]
On May 28, 2024, it was announced that Kpassagnon had suffered atorn Achilles tendon in the offseason and would miss training camp as a result.[26]
On August 27, 2024, Kpassagnon was placed on the reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list to begin the season.[27][28] He was activated on December 14.
Kpassagnon is the son ofIvorian andUgandan parents.[29] His mother, Winifred Wafwoyo, is a chemist, and his father, Patrice Kpassagnon Tagro, is an economist.[3]
